Cider-press



(No Model.)

J. MERCIER.

GIDBR PRESS. No. 249,852. Patented Nov. 22,1881.

IINrTnn STATES rtree.

PATENT ClDER-PRESS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 249,852, dated November 22, 1881.

(No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, JOHN MERCIER, of De- `roit, county of Wayne, State of Michigan, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Cider-Presses; and I declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, such as will enable others skilled Vin the art to which it pertains to make and use it, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this` specification.

My invention consists in the combination of devices and appliances hereinafter set forth, and more particularlypointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure lis aside elevation ofa cider-press embodying` my invention and showing portions by dotted lines. Fig, 2 is a separate View of one of the upper lags. Fig.- 3 is a separate view of one of the lower lags. Fig. 4 is a top view of the lowerinterior bearing detached.

rIhis device is designed as an improvement on the device patented to me August 24, 1880, the improvement consisting, essentially, in employment of an upper continuous belt of lags, made to travel in contact with an inner belt of anti-friction rollers, which latter travel in contact with a rigid interior bearing, and a similar lower series of lags, rollers, and interior bearing. The two are so located with respect to each other that they present long dat opposing surfaces, which gradually approach each other, and as they travel forward they express the juice from the interposed poinace.

The invention also consists in a novel construction by which is effected the adjustment of a portion of one ofthe pressing-surfaces to or from the other, and the adjustable portion is caused to close automatically upon the opposed surface in order to exert an efficient pressure when the pomace may be thinly laid or of soft consistency.

To this end', A is the frame. B B and C C are two sets ofdrums, over which the continuous bands oflags 1) D are adjusted. The drums B and C are geared together so as to travel at the same speed, and may be operated by a pinion, b, on the power-shaft b', to which may be attached any suitable driving means or crank.

E E/ are two continuous bauds of anti-friction rollers, and F F are rigid supports within the said bands.

G is a chute, which receives the juice as it falls-and directs it out through any suitable passage to the barrel or other receptacle designed to receive it.

H represents two rollers, and El a continuous belt or cord passing over tlemintended simply to support the sagging central portion of the baud of lags D.y

The operation of this portion of the device is, briefly, as follows It will'be observed that the opposed surfaces of the upper and lower bands of lags gradually approach each other, and that the lower series extends back of the othersomedistance. "Ihisrearextension forms a feeding-table, upon which the fresh poniace is fed to the machine upon the lags D in an even layer of uniform thickness. As the lags D D move forward in the direction of the arrows the pomace is subjected to a very great, but gradually increasing, pressure until it is eventually discharged in a dry state at D2. In this operation the pressure is sustained by the rigid supports F F', and the anti-friction rollers E E relieve the device ot' sliding friction and render it easy of operation.

The upperlags, D, are preferably made solid, with surface-recesses d, to facilitate the ready discharge of the juice, and the rigid support F may or may not be made solid. The lower lags, D', however, should provide for the escape of the juice through them, and to this end they are preferably made of parallell pieces d', separated by thin washers d2, the whole being -frmly bolted together; so, also, the rigid support F is also preferably made of separate piecesf, with interposed blocks f2, so as to permit the free passage of the juice through it to the panchute Gr beneath. The lower lags,

- D', are shown as hinged together by links d5,

which engage the bolts da. The upper lags, D, are shown as hinged together by strap d3 and links d". I would haveitunderstood, however, that I do not limit myself to any particular means for fastening the lags together, nor

to any particular construction of the lags themn IOC Ipropose to make the uprights in two pieces, I I', suitably held together-as,for instance, a loosemortise-and-tenonconnection. Iprovide, also, bolts H2 and nuts h2, by which the parts may be give-n any desired adjustment, so as to increase or diminish the space between the bands of lags. So, also, I propose to joint the rigid support F at F2 and hinge the adjacent parts together. A cross piece, F3, will give rigidity to the hinged portion when necessary.

I connect with the hinged section straps F4, which, extending through the top frame, are provided with a very stitll spring, f3, and an adjusting-nut, F5, by which a very considerable pressure may be exerted ou the pomace in ease there should happen to be a thin layer or the pomace should be of a soft consistency; but this spring would, in the ordinary use ot the machine, yield so as to permit the hinged section to rest on the cross-bar beneath.

Any suitable means may be employed for confining the pomace upon the lower lags, D, and to this end a canvas belt may be employed, with edges adapted to fold over the pomace;

but I do not lay any claim to any particular means for the purpose.

What I claim is- 1. In a cider-mill, the combination of an upper continuous belt of lags, substantially as described, passing over two drums, a separate inner continuous belt ot' anti friction rollers supporting said belt of lags, and a rigid inte.- rior bearing supporting said beltofanti-friction rollers, with a similar lower beltoflags carried by a belt of anti-friction rollers supported by an interior bearing, the oppositev faces of said belts of lags converging, essentially as described.

2. The combination, with the top belt of lags, supported substantially as described, of the lower belts of lags and rollers, the lower interior bearing formed of two parts hinged together, one xed and the other movable, and means for adjusting said movable portion to bring the lower belt of lags in desired proximity to the upper belt, essentially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. The combination, with the lower belt of lags and its supporting-belt ot' anti-friction rollers, ot' the interior bearing for said belt, composed of the fixed and movable sections, the bolt-rod supporting said movable section. the spring surrounding the upper end of said rod, and the nut bearing upon said spring, substantially as described, and for the purpose set forth.

4. The belt D, composed of the solid flexibly connected lags havin g gro oved pressin g-faees, substantially as described.

5. The flexibly-connected lags D', formed of separate parallel bars and interposed washers, substantially as described.

6. The combination, with the lower belt of flexibly-connected spaced or open lags, ofthe interior bearin gs, F, formed ofseparate parallel bars and interposed blocks, substantially as and for the purpose Set forth.

In testimony whereof I sign this specification in the presence of two witnesses.

JOHN MERCIER.

Witnesses:

W. M. PORTER, HENRY T. WELCH. 

